---- Chapter 24 Far away, on the rugged coast of Maine, Liv Hayes was breathing clean, salt-tinged air. The Hayes family estate, a rambling, historic houselesik with character, perched on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic, was a sanctuary. Elizabeth was there, a constant, reassuring presence. Liv spent her days walking the private beach, the wind whipping her hair, the roar of the ocean a soothing balm to her fractured soul. She was slowly healing, focusing on her health, her pregnancy. She had started to sketch again, not for work, but for herself - the dramatic coastline, the changing moods of the sea, the quiet moments of her own solitude. She was rediscovering parts of herself she'd forgotten, or suppressed, during her years with Michael. Her true identity, the one unburdened by his expectations and deceit, was re-emerging. Peace was a fragile seedling, but it was taking root. Self-worth, long eroded by Michael's gaslighting, was slowly returning. Meanwhile, Michael was adrift in the wreckage of his LA life. Exhaustion was his constant companion. He slept poorly, haunted by regrets and the dawning realization of what he had truly lost. ---- He found an old photo album, one Liv had meticulously put together. Pictures of their early days, their travels, their laughter. He saw the sacrifices Liv had made for his career, the unwavering support she had given him, the genuine love in her eyes. Love he had trampled, betrayed, and thrown away. Serena's presence was a constant irritant. Her demands were incessant, her moods volatile. She offered no comfort, only blame and a grasping neediness that suffocated him. He made a decision. A desperate, perhaps futile one. He would divorce Serena, He told her one evening, his voice flat, devoid of emotion. "| want a divorce, Serena." She stared at him, her expression unreadable for a moment. Then, a slow, calculating smile spread across her face. "Fine," she said. "But it will cost you, Michael. Everything you have left." He knew she would try to bleed him dry. But he didn't care. He had to cut her loose. He had to try, somehow, to find Liv. To atone. Even if it was impossible. He was still being manipulated by Serena, her agreement too easy, her smile too predatory, but he was too lost in his own regret to see it clearly. He just wanted out.